When pregnancy costs you your career

Finding out you're pregnant should be a time for joy, not worry about your job. But for many women in Australia, it's the moment their working life starts to change.

ABC's Four Corners recently heard from 104 women who say they were treated unfairly at work after becoming pregnant or having a baby. Some worked for Australia's biggest companies. Nearly a quarter worked in the public sector. Their stories are different, but the pattern is hard to ignore.

If any of this feels familiar, we want you to know two things: you're not alone, and it's not okay.

What the women shared

The most striking number is this: 48 of the 104 women, or 46%, were made redundant. That's almost half.

For others, the change was quieter but just as painful. Of the women who spoke up:

• 1 in 4 were demoted or offered a demotion

• 3 in 10 had responsibilities taken away from them

• 30% asked for flexible work and were told no

• 1 in 5 say they were wrongly told their role was no longer needed

• 1 in 6 missed out on a promotion or career progression

• 15% were let go, suspended or had their contract not renewed

• 1 in 7 signed a non-disclosure agreement after losing their job

• 1 in 10 were put on performance management

• 8% ran into barriers when trying to breastfeed at work

Behind every number is a woman who was planning her family and her future at the same time, and found her workplace wasn't on her side.

Why it matters

Pregnancy discrimination doesn't always look like being shown the door. Often it's a slow chipping away: a project handed to someone else, a meeting you're no longer invited to, a promotion that quietly goes to a colleague.

Flexibility is a big part of the story. For many new parents, flexible hours or working from home are what make going back to work possible at all. When that request is refused, women can be left feeling they have to choose between their career and their family. No one should have to make that choice.

The non-disclosure agreements matter too. When women sign an NDA as they leave, it can feel harder to talk about what happened, even with friends or other mums going through the same thing. That silence is part of why this pattern has been so easy to miss.

Know your rights

In Australia, it's against the law to treat someone unfairly at work because they're pregnant, might become pregnant, are breastfeeding or have family responsibilities. In broad terms, that means:

• You can't be sacked, demoted or sidelined because you're pregnant or a parent.

• You have a right to return to work after parental leave, to your old job or, if it no longer exists, a similar one.

• You can ask for flexible work if you're a parent of a child of school age or younger. Your employer must respond in writing within 21 days and can only say no on reasonable business grounds.

This is general information, not legal advice. Every situation is different, so it's worth talking to one of the services below about yours.

What you can do

If something doesn't feel right at work, these steps can help protect you:

1. Write it down. Keep a simple record of what happened, when, and who was involved. Save emails and messages.

2. Put requests in writing. If you ask for flexible work or raise a concern, do it by email so there's a clear record.

3. Check your policies. Your workplace's parental leave and flexible work policies, and your award or agreement, may give you more than the legal minimum.

4. Get advice early. If you've been dismissed, there are short time limits to make a claim, often just 21 days, so don't wait.

5. Lean on your people. Talk to your partner, a friend or other parents. You don't have to carry this on your own.

These services can help:

• Fair Work Ombudsman: information on your workplace rights, parental leave and flexible work (fairwork.gov.au)

• Australian Human Rights Commission: advice and a complaints process for discrimination (humanrights.gov.au)

• JobWatch (VIC, QLD and TAS): free, confidential employment rights advice (jobwatch.org.au)

You deserve both

You deserve to grow your family and your career. Wanting both isn't asking for too much; it's asking for what the law already says you're entitled to.

The 104 women who spoke to Four Corners have made it a little easier for the rest of us to say: this happened to me too. If you're in the middle of it right now, be gentle with yourself, reach out for support, and know that it isn't your fault.

At Ovum, we're here for you through every stage, from planning to pregnancy and beyond.

Source: ABC Four Corners, Pregnancy Penalty